What I loved:
* Academic rivals to lovers - watching Bel stand up to Teo, especially at the start of the book was so satisfying. I loved seeing how she was able to use her own experience to help the team and how much it infuriated Teo.

* Representation for women in STEM - I loved how the author addressed the very real problems faced by women in male dominated areas, like areas related to STEM. It is an unfortunate truth that too many girls are not encouraged to pursue interests or careers that are mainly male dominated and the author did not shy away from this at all.

* Bel was a super likeable character! I liked her right away, right down to her bird jeans. She felt really realistic and relatable, I mean, who else felt like they didn't have their entire life figured out at 17?

What I didn't love:
* I feel like the ending left a few loose ends. I don't want to get into details, but I feel like there were some things that need cleared up, one example being with Teo's father.

* I feel that the ending was a bit rushed and I would have liked to see more about how Teo and Bel dealt with things more. There were a few issues in their relationship that hadn't been sorted out and I would have liked to have seen some sort of conclusion before the book ended.

* I wish the rivals part had developed more, but that's purely personal preference.

Overall, this was a really great read and I highly recommend it. It was a quick, light read!

Thank you so much to the publisher Holiday House for sending an arc of this my way in exchange for an honest review.

This just wasn't up my alley. Although i am a diehard fan of the authors other works. i just couldn't fall in love with My Mechanical Romance. I just couldn't care enough about the story or the characters considering I'm not into robotics and stem. it seemed interesting at first and then kind of just dragged for me.

ARC provided by NETGALLEY

reading slump make it way while i was reading this book and it took me 10 days to finish it BUT i absolutely adored this novel!
first, the trope academic rivals to lovers yup obviously im in!
second, a two pov narrative, love it!
i felt really connected to some stuffs on this book, and it felt so good to be seen!
being a scientist myself, i wish more (romance) novel were settled in science world with nerdy characters!

Thank you to NetGalley, Alexene Farol Follmuth & Holiday House for allowing me to read this ARC. 4 stars: My Mechanical Romance by Alexene Farol Follmuth is such a cute novel featuring women in stem, academic rivals to lovers, and coming of age. I loved Bel and Teo and the duo POV as they become closer. There were great range of characters but the plot moved a bit slow for me. Overall, a good YA contemporary read.

My Mechanical Romance
5/5
I absolutely LOVED this book! It was a cute, quick read and I really enjoyed the pacing of the story! I am all for academic rivals to lovers, so this story had me hooked immediately. I found the main character, Bel, to be so relatable, especially with her struggles to find her path in life. The focus on women in STEM was also amazing! I enjoyed the dual POV between Bel and her robotics team rival Mateo Luna, and I really liked that all of the interactions between the characters in the book felt very natural! It really felt like conversations high schoolers would have. Bel and Mateo’s transition from rivals to friends to lovers was EVERYTHING! I always enjoy all the cute, wholesome moments when they are beginning the shift from friends to lovers and this book had plenty! I also loved all of the secondary characters in the book! Overall, this was one of my favorite YA books I’ve read this year and I would recommend it to literally anyone and everyone who loves YA romance!
Thank you to NetGalley and Holiday House for gifting me this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

When Bel fails an assignment, she is forced to join the schools robotics team and quickly finds out that she is pretty good at it. This is also where she meets Theo, the team captain. Rivals at first, the two soon realize that they might have more in common than they originally thought.
This was a great read. The story was very well written and the plot is easy to follow. The characters were great as well. Especially the main character Bel was amazing, in my opinion. She was very well developed and her character growth was notable and appreciated. The relationship between the main characters was also very well executed in my opinion. The change from rivalry to love was great and not too rushed. i would definitely recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC

First I would like to thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC copy in exchange for a review !!

I personnaly loved this book so much it was such a fun read !! At first I was a little skeptical because read even if I love a good rivals to lovers I'm not a big fan of science (litereray to the core lol). BUT I was so wrong and I'm glad i was.

The story follows Bel who just arrived in a new High School and who will against all odds join the school robotics club by capturing the attention of the team leader who i no one else than our male protagonist Mateo Luna !! I find it interesting to see the struggles that girls in STEM have to face and how they have to fight to prove their value in this world where some men dont think they belong.

Concerning Bel and Teo I just loved the fact that even if they're from two completly different worlds they find in eachother a person who understand them better than everyone else.

Their relationship and its development was awesome just to see them going from academic rivals to friends to lovers was so cute and fun !! It was beautiful to see this fragile young love blooming.
And I really loved them separetly too they're so smart and kind !

I also really could relate to Bel character and her struggles. Some people have their all life figured it out (or at least have a idea of what their future will look like) but some of them just dont really know what to expect of their future (I'm one of them lol) I just recently figured it out that each person have her own path, her own rythm and that its not a competition. Everything will come to place and at some point all of this will make sense (enventually lol). And thats why Bel character hit very close to home and I just loved to see her grow throughout the book and to see her become a independent and skillful character who just keep evolving despite all the difficulties she has to face as a girl in STEM.

So yeah I was such a good read and I'm so happy I was given this opportunity to discover it !!

𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐈 𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖
𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: My Mechanical Romance
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: Alexene Farol Follmuth
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: YA contemporary romance
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Written in dual first-person POV, we follow Bel as she is lost in what she wants to do with herself and her life. Enter Teo—the robotics captain, the soccer captain, and the all-round smart, athletic guy. He notices Bel’s talent in engineering, and they start working together.

I liked how this book explores challenges girls of colour face in STEM as well as the sweetness and vulnerability of falling for someone.

𝐆𝐔𝐒𝐇:
• cute, quick, and fast read. I read this in one sitting!
• funny moments where I actually laughed out loud at the banter
• love Bel and how the book explores her coming of age

𝐆𝐑𝐈𝐏𝐄:
• I don’t know how to articulate it, but I feel like the writing was too chaotic for me—like there was never a moment to ruminate on what was happening, if that makes sense.
• I feel that issues between Bel and Teo were not resolved towards the end despite the book leading up to it… (even if it was a realistic ending, I still wasn’t satisfied)
• I feel like a few issues were not addressed enough (regarding Teo’s family, Bel’s parents)

𝐈𝐧 𝐚 𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐥, 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞:
✔ academic rivals to lovers
✔ women in STEM (making robots!)
✔ diverse cast of characters
✔ engineering

𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫: fans of YA contemporary romance, people wanting to read young women in STEM, WOC in STEM

TW: sexism, divorce, anxiety, racism

Thank you to @NetGalley and the publisher (@Holiday House) for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 𝐌𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠: 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐣𝐨𝐲.𝐜𝐨𝐦

3.5 stars, rounded up. My Mechanical Romance is a really fun, cute YA romance with a heavy emphasis on STEM and robotics. I loved every single conversation Bel had with Ms. Voss and the lessons Bel learned from her. Teo is super, super arrogant - soccer team captain, robotics captain, teacher favorite, with a wealthy family and absurd popularity. But I love how he changes and humbles a bit after he meets Bel. I also love how he pushes her to be better, to learn more.
I didn't like that they both sort of feel pressured by themselves to have sex simply because they're dating. That whole part of this book felt... unnecessary.

*Steam: kisses, mention of make outs
*Content: divorce, sexism

Thanks to NetGalley for my e-arc of this book. Opinions here are my own.

This was adorable. It was so easy and fun to read. The characters felt like real people and the relationship between Bel and Teo progressed in such a wholesome and understandable manner. I enjoyed every bit of it.

As much as this book was centered around the romance and robotics, there's so much more. The characters and their relationships are all handled with equal care. The themes of figuring where you belong and what you're good at resonated alot, especially for confused girls in stem spaces. ( Shoutout to Bel for being painfully relatable)

I also really really REALLY liked the Holi scene and appreciate the author for being very respectful of other cultures and ethnicities.


T R O P E S
Academic rivals to lovers
Girls in STEM
POC in STEM
Strong female friendships
Coming of Age

4.4*

thank you so much to netgalley and the publishers for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

my mechanical romance (prettiest cover btw) follows bel, who after finding out she has a natural gift for engineering, is forced to join the robotics team at her high school. bel isn’t big into academics so she’s reluctant - especially after meeting a team of people who doubt her skills. enter the other half of our dual pov: mateo luna - rich, genius, and good at everything - who is the controlling captain of the team. he notices something in bel, however, and as they work late nights together on robots they start to find themselves growing closer, and making each other better. bel and teo now have to navigate new friendships, family problems, and their budding romance, all while finding the future that’s right for them.

i really really enjoyed this one!!! bel is a fun and likeable protagonist who is a badass engineer and wears glitter eyeshadow to competitions. teo is definitely the kind of guy i would’ve been obsessed with in high school (he is so nerdy charming - to some this probably means arrogant) and their relationship is well-paced and communicative. however, for a book pitched as “rivals” to lovers they were only rivals for about 3 seconds. i wish they had a little bit more of that tension for longer, but that’s personally what i prefer in this particular trope.

i love found family/ big friend groups (especially in ya) so i also enjoyed that aspect of the team as well. pretty much everyone is likable and the dialogue is snappy and quick!! however, while a lot of the characters dealt with recognizing biases in the stem world, i do think within the big arc of the story some character development felt a little unfinished. (i’m not a woman in stem, so i can’t speak to this 100% but some parts, especially with the mail robotics teacher, had me feeling like the sexism aspect could’ve been handled more clearly)

also, this book has a lot of cliches. like a lot. if you, however, are reading a young adult romance and looking for absolutely zero cliches… let me know if you find one! i however, absolutely love cliches, so big down to the wire tournament moments and everyone-sees-it-but-them romances are righttttt up my alley.

overall, this was a super charming read that maybe could have used a bit more nuance in some areas but was still completely satisfying and fun. 4 stars!!!

3.5 ✨

“Maybe life hasn’t always pointed things out to me the way I was expecting, but if I was lucky enough to let the universe catapult me here, then all the hard stuff along the way was worth it.”

This is for all the girls that always try to be their best, for the ones that get up every single time after they fall, and that work hard to be the main character in their own lives. For the ones that know they don’t have to do it alone. That it doesn’t matter how old you are to figure what you want to be. That it’s okay to be nervous but you should always trust yourself enough not to be afraid. And most of all for all the girls that are trying their hardest to be all of the above.

The characters were absolutely fantastic. Main and second characters alike. I loved Bel she was hilarious, sweet, and utterly unique. Teo was a cinnamon roll hiding under all that pressure. They were nerdy and cute together. I was rooting for them since the beginning. The friendships were also top notch everyone should have friends like them.

“God, your nerd energy is so suffocating right now.”

Read if you like 💫
•Women in Stem
•Robotics
•Enemies to friends to lovers
•Teammates romance
•Taylor swift
•Classic trope : “Secret robotics tutoring”
•Diversity rep

“It’s my life, isn’t it? Robotics helped me realize I could find a place here—or better yet, make one.”

This was such a sweet YA romance. The storyline and characters feel very realistic, and I love the representation of Women in STEM (and in this book--engineering and robotics). I also enjoyed the discussions throughout the story of family dynamics and following what your passions are (especially when deciding your future beyond high school).

Thank you Holiday House and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review!

“Like most people, there are things I love in life- Cheese, being right, the beautiful rarity of a well-timed clapback-“ Was the line that got me hooked.
Just from having an emo phase, the title had me hooked.
I loved this book so much. From the relatable mc trying to figure out where to go in life to Bel joining the robotics team, something I did in middle school, I flew through this book and loved it so much. And don’t even get me started on the love interest!!! The way the author also accurately portrayed what it looks like for a girl in the STEM work environment and the challenges many women IRL have to overcome was also a cherry ontop of this beautifully done story.
I loved this book so much and i’m so glad I had the chance to read it!!!

Thanks to Netgalley and Holiday House publishing for the ARC of this!

Loved the women in STEM focus, and the book was just right in terms of length and pacing for me. I really enjoyed seeing the main character’s find themselves and their budding romance. I recommend this if you want a cute enemies-to-lovers STEM focused YA with a diverse cast of characters, especially fans of When Dimple Met Rishi.

I have never read anything by Alexene Farol Follmuth but I will definitely be on the lookout to read more after this book. This book was the nerdy and funny pick me up that I needed to get out of a short reading slump.

This book follows Bel Maier who feels lost in trying to decide what she wants to do with her life or even what she wants to do in college. That is she was struggling until her teacher notices Bel has a natural talent for engineering and puts Bel on the robotics team. I was never great at any subject like this in college but anyone who was anyone wanted to be on the robotics team. I got to experience what could have been through this book. However, when she shows up to the robotics team, all the guys on the team ignore her and the only other girl on the team doesn't seem too keen on Bel being there. Everyone ignores her except for one person: Teo Luna, robotics team captain.

Watching what unfolds between the two is exciting and angsty in the most nerdy way. In this book, much like the Love Hypothesis, I didn't understand a single bit of the science the book was explaining, but the book kept me uberly interested all the way through. The book had all the nerdy elements of rom with some really fun pop culture elements *especially for all you swifties out there*.

I love books that are premised on the fact that women can be dominating in a traditionally male dominated world. Love the academia representation in this and how it highlights all of thrill and struggles academia can bring.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book! I had a blast reading it and I want to send a special thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this cute book ahead of time. When this comes out, go read it. You won't be disappointed.

My Mechanical Romance is a YA romance revolving around Bel and Teo . I had heard great things about the author and her writing and it didn't disappoint . I loved the book. The character development is one of the important things that made me love the book , especially of Neelam . I have read a lot of books with women in stem . This is arguably one of the best . the world need more of them .I would recommend it if you are looking for cute , fun and quick enemies to lovers YA read .

4.5/5 stars, this was just as cute as I hoped

I did not know until I read another review that this is the same author that wrote 'The Atlas Six' which I have been dying to read for a long time, but that's so exciting considering how much I adored this cute book. I was reading it during a really busy time in my life, and the content within the book actually represented that. The main characters are seniors who get ready to go to college and talk about having AP and harder classes often. That's what I was doing as well, so it was both rewarding and reassuring that these characters were doing the same things I was doing.

I'm a nerd, something that I openly admit, and seeing all of the main characters have the same love for learning that I did especially in the STEM fields felt so amazing. I love nerds, I just love them. There is something else about a person so committed to learning and growing in all aspects of life, especially academically that I admire, probably why I aspire to be like them and surround myself with similar people. While I do not want to go into such a science-specific field as most of the characters, I love seeing women in STEM be represented in all books as I will be going for the same. I want to do Psychology, and while that was not represented, I have taken lots of other STEM classes that are both hard and so rewarding. I was really able to connect with the main characters that way.

As well, the author really portrayed the way girls are treated in a primary men-dominated world, workspace, and school was so tremendously well done. There were lots of little details that showed how women are treated as well as little instances where the reader was meant to ask themselves if that was indeed sexism (hint: most of the time it was). Creating a book where this is well represented while having room for the reader to recognize subtle sexism made it such a powerful message.

I was also able to really connect with the main character, Bel because her parents were basically divorced before the novel started, and she had to deal with the implications throughout the entire book. While it was sad to see a character struggle with what I've been experiencing my whole life, it was also validating. It reminded me that I am not the only person with divorced parents and that every negative and positive experience that comes with it, and any emotions I may feel about any of it is valid. Children shouldn't have to deal with this outcome from their parents, but it happens.

The science in this book was written in a way that is probably going to be easy for many people, from all types of backgrounds, to understand. I'm not really into robotics or physics, but I still enjoy a bit of science (mainly biology). Despite my overall lack of background knowledge on the subject, I never felt lost when the characters were referencing topics, as the author explained them in a simple way. It was still obvious that it was a complicated subject full of math and science, but I felt that it was easy enough to understand that the general reader should be able to enjoy it without an issue.

Bel in many aspects was a very relatable character for me, especially as we shared the trait of being a person of color and a woman. There were so many instances when she was competing in robotics where people on the opposite teams said she was just "diversity points" or "token diversity girl." which was disgusting but seriously how people consider women in the STEM field, especially women of color. Bel never let it deter her though, she had moments where she was unsure, but she still did what she loved and found her place in the team. I adored her perseverance and really related to her in lots of ways. I think how she handled her family situation was also very mature of her, and I am so proud of her for finding herself over the course of the book.

Teo Luna was also an amazing character, in the beginning I was a bit hesitant on his story and personality, but he won me over by the end. I really enjoyed how involved he was in his school and extracurriculars, but sometimes struggled with what he wanted to do. He was really committed to his friends, robotics, and felt the need to be the leader. I am really glad that as the novel progressed he learned to be leniant with himself and not be so focused on leading and organizing everything. It was not his sole responsibility, and him learning that was so cute. I really liked how he also learned to recognize the signs of subtle sexism present in his own school, robotics team, and the competitions in general. He grew from the boy who just didn't notice it, to be the boy that actively tried to correct himself and help Bel and Neelam. I really enjoyed the little glimpse of him in the epilogue as well.

The side characters really added to the lively feel of the book as well, they were all so much fun and some really great friends to the main characters. My favorite was probably Neelam or Dash, they were pretty much opposites but were both very interesting. In the beginning, I was really hesitant about Neelam and the direction her story was going to go, but I ended up really enjoying her. She knows that she doesn't owe anyone anything besides herself, and I get why she acted like a sour person. Dash was just really funny and I enjoyed his character.

Sometimes romance in these types of books makes me feel like it's unrealistic, but I think this was written in a very mature way, something I always enjoy. The enemies-to-lovers romance found between Bel and Teo was actually very cute, and I loved the progression of their relationship. It never felt forced and overall was very well done, especially at the end of the novel. The decision that they made concerning their relationship was very mature of them and I loved seeing it play out in the epilogue as well. I was proud of them for making the decision they did. As well, both characters had their own lives outside of the relationship, and I really enjoyed how the relationship was not just all about each other. Oftentimes that's how it is, but I don't think it's necessary healthy for teenagers who are dating to only have each other in their lives and no one else, and no outside hobbies. So seeing that they were able to have this healthy balance was so important for me as well.

As I was a senior while reading this, it felt rewarding watching the characters leave high school and prep for their college years, for example like I said before with AP tests and finals. They began to realize themselves in a positive way and supported one another, which was absolutely fantastic to see. One of my favorite "lessons" of the book was when Bel didn't get into the school she wanted, and instead chose a community school, and no one hated on her for it. Even the people that placed expectations on her to go somewhere big and prestigious didn't shame her for it. I enjoyed how the book talked about how getting into the best school is NOT ALL that matters, and you can be really smart while choosing something else, because it is YOUR education no one else's. I did the same, I didn't choose the most "prestigious" school, but still chose a school in the same system as the "prestigious" school just smaller, as this would be better for me in the long run in terms of money and my own wellbeing.

Overall, this was such a lovely book with lots of important topics, mostly concerning college and leaving high school, which should be represented more. I enjoyed how it handled all of these, and the characters all felt very mature and realistic. I really adored this book and only took off a half-star as at first it was hard to connect to, but I was also in a busy time in my life and it was probably not the book's fault. After this, I cannot wait to read The Atlas Six by the same author.

[TW: sexism, divorce, infidelity (mentioned), anxiety depiction, racist comments]

Thank you Netgalley and Holiday House for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this, and I found myself relating to Bel a lot. The robot fights were really interesting to read because I did robotics in middle school and reading this has tempted me to get back into it! Also, I really liked how it highlighted the struggles of girls in STEM fields. It's disappointing that it's still a problem, especially as someone who has experienced things like that in the past. I was glad to see that it was tackled very well in this book. The character development was great, especially for Neelam. I like that she became more than just "the mean girl" and you begin to understand why she acts the way she does. Overall, it was a fun, relatable, and well-written read, and the ending was perfect and such a surprise to me!

Another romance involving STEM which is great to see. It also has diverse characters and strong female characters. So if you are into robotics and romance, this one is for you.